Lyra’s body and soul were both scorched by the raging flas, the light enveloped her with waves of heat, searing every inch of her skin.
Lyra no longer knew how long she had been gripping the sword hilt; the prolonged high temperature and pressure had blurred her senses.
She could see nothing, hear nothing, only the blinding light that numbed her senses and the ever-spreading pain remained.
Perhaps three or four hours had passed... or maybe just five or six minutes...
Lyra wasn’t even sure if her hand was still on the sword or if her legs were still standing.
Was she still alive?
After an unknown period, the heat and light that seed infinitely close to the sun finally dissipated, and a cool sensation began to spread in Lyra’s mind.
Her hands seed to regain sensation. As Lyra was about to move, her wrists felt tightly bound by sothing.
Looking down, she saw a pair of silver-white tal shackles locking both her hands, with a faint magical aura emanating from the surface, suppressing the flow of her ntal power.
How... where is this...
Lyra narrowed her eyes and noticed she was wearing a coarse prison uniform, with shackles of the sa material locked around her ankles.
The cold sensation traveled from her feet to the top of her head, so cold that her breath turned white.
The room temperature was low, and the uniform did little to keep her warm.
The surroundings were dark, smooth walls with only one door and one window, both secured with iron bars. The only seemingly comfortable place to rest was a relatively soft pile of dry hay.
...Another illusion?
Lyra tried to walk, but as soon as she moved her legs, she nearly tripped over the shackles on her ankles.
The distance between the shackles was very short, making walking extrely inconvenient, especially when she tried to take a step, her ankles would rub against the iron rings, causing her skin to ache.
Soone should co soon... I’ll sit and wait for a while...
Thinking back to the previous illusion, Lyra guessed that whoever created this must want to determine sothing through her reactions.
If so, they probably wouldn’t leave her idle for too long.
Sure enough, before Lyra could sit for long, the iron door opened from the outside, and a man dressed as a jailer entered.
"Lyra Beckett, you are summoned to the military court of the Valeria Empire for trial," the man said coldly, his eyes flashing with disgust.
"Please cooperate and do not resist. It will be better for both of us."
Military court? Trial?
Hearing these unfamiliar terms, Lyra was montarily stunned, and the tal shackles on her hands felt even heavier.
Seeing Lyra sitting still without moving, the man’s tone beca even more rigid.
"If you refuse, we will use force."
For this pink-haired girl who might be a traitor, he felt no sympathy.
Lyra quickly shook her head, "No, I will cooperate."
What happened... who is trying to judge her...
"Good," the man nodded, stepping aside to let her walk ahead.
He had to ensure that the prisoner had no chance to escape during the escort.
Even though Lyra was already shackled with cuffs that blocked her ntal power, she still had the power of an Early Knight. Keeping an eye on her back was the best option.
Due to the shackles, it took Lyra a few extra seconds to stand up. Barefoot, she left the cell and entered a dim, narrow corridor.
"..."
"What cri have I committed?"
Hearing Lyra’s question, the man did not answer, his gaze fixed on the chains on her feet, vigilant against any possible incidents.
The clinking of tal echoed in the long corridor. After a long silence without an answer, Lyra understood that the man didn’t want to talk, so she didn’t speak further, lowering her head and continuing forward.
After so ti, the man spoke again.
"Turn right, keep going."
Turning the corner and leaving the prison area, Lyra clearly felt the force suppressing her ntal power sharply decline, while more wary eyes fell upon her.
Not only did the shackles have anti-magic properties, but the entire prison also had a barrier that blocked ntal power.
"Turn left, then go up the stairs, enter the second door from the left, and wait for the trial."
Walking up the cold stone steps and pushing the door open, Lyra felt a slight warmth from the carpet. She blinked a few tis, the skin on her wrists already showing a red mark from the iron cuffs.
Besides her, there were several observers in the room, each with the strength of at least a senior knight.
Seeing Lyra’s coarse prison uniform and her dull pink hair from the short imprisonnt, the observers’ eyes grew colder, one even snorted in disdain, as if being in the sa room with her was a great insult.
Lyra ignored their gazes, standing quietly to the side and waiting. After so ti, she heard soone call her na.
"Lyra Beckett, please enter the courtroom for trial."
....
Standing on the trial platform for the first ti as an accused criminal, Lyra felt the gazes from all directions, her fingers slightly clenched, her breathing unconsciously quickening.
Compared to the previous public duel, this atmosphere of wearing a prison uniform and being condemned by thousands made her even more uncomfortable.
However, as the judge closed the book and the jury mbers stopped talking, the entire courtroom fell silent, and Lyra felt less nervous.
If this trial wanted to convict her, she might as well listen carefully to what she had done wrong.
The judge looked at the pink-haired girl standing straight despite the shackles, his eyes calm.
"Lyra Beckett, from Morin Village, Kost Town, as a mber of the Valeria Empire, a subject of His Majesty the Emperor..."
"...Do you have any objections to the charges of violating Article 261 of the Empire’s General Law, endangering national security, and Article 324, treason?"
The cold female voice fell, and the surrounding air turned chilly. Lyra’s breath hitched, her thoughts briefly paused.
"Endangering national security?"
Treason? How could that be...
Although Lyra knew she hadn’t made any outstanding contributions to the empire, treason was absolutely impossible.
"I have not done anything to endanger the empire."
Lyra quickly replied, looking up at the judge not far away.
Hearing Lyra’s rebuttal, so jury mbers’ eyes turned even more hostile.
The judge did not speak imdiately but signaled a staff mber to provide evidence. Soon, a slightly worn knight’s sword was placed on the trial table.
"Is this Miss Lyra’s sword, correct?"
Lyra looked at the familiar one-handed sword, a faint sense of unease stirring in her heart.
"Can I take a closer look?"
"No."
That was the expected answer.
After a brief silence, Lyra nodded.
"It is my sword."
Whether it was the style or the scratches on the hilt, there was no doubt it was the best sword forged by the village’s finest blacksmith.
The judge nodded slightly, clasping her hands on the table.
"Soone accuses you of using this sword to severely injure soldiers of the Empire’s army attacking the Kingdom of Velys, in a small village called Vansterlin in the Rotax region."
After speaking, a black-haired man in military uniform with a black eye patch walked onto the stage, his gaze full of malice as he looked at Lyra.
Seeing this familiar face and the severed fingers beneath, Lyra’s eyelid twitched, roughly inferring what had happened.
This illusion was not independent but a continuation of the previous one. She had attacked the man in the village called Vansterlin, and he was part of the Valeria Empire’s border defense force.
As for what they were doing at the ti, according to the judge’s description, the background of this illusion was likely a war between the Valeria Empire and the Kingdom of Velys.
The Empire’s army had already invaded Prilis’s border and was massacring in the village. She had attacked one of the squads.
"Your Honor, it was this traitor nad Lyra who attacked us, causing the failure of the original battle plan."
"And it is very likely because of her that the target escaped."
The man’s eyes were filled with coldness, as if he wanted to tear Lyra to pieces.
Feeling his gaze, Lyra pursed her lips.
The original battle plan... and the so-called target...
Did she really affect sothing?
The judge looked up, continuing to gaze at Lyra, her voice calm.
"Lyra, do you admit that Mr. Casto’s statent is an established fact?"
Her knight’s sword was on the trial table, and the one-eyed soldier stood in the witness stand. With both physical and witness evidence, everything seed to point against Lyra.
Hearing the faint whispers and the malicious gazes from below, Lyra felt as if her back was being pricked by needles, a tingling pain.
After a while, Lyra spoke softly.
"So of what Mr. Casto said is indeed true."
She had indeed attacked his squad, and not just Casto, even his squad mbers had seen it. There was no possibility or need to hide it.
"However, regarding this conflict, Mr. Casto’s statent is severely biased, and he has selectively ignored so key points."
"For example, the one who initiated the attack was not , but his subordinate."
If she rembered correctly, it was a knight who swung his axe at her first, and she chose to retaliate.
Although Lyra had initially intended to act, now that she was in a military court, it was necessary to clarify the nature of the incident.
"But you appeared in that place without armor and without the honeysuckle emblem proving your identity."
Casto imdiately retorted, his remaining eye bloodshot, with a hint of hatred deep within.
"Appearing suddenly in the clearing area, I could only regard you as an enemy."
"Believe , on the battlefield, no veteran would welco a stranger with a weapon and not in the military ranks with open arms, especially when my squad sensed killing intent from you, and you did not attempt to explain."
"If Miss Lyra had been half as eloquent as she is now, explaining things clearly, I believe they would not have troubled you."
This cleverly shifted the problem back to Lyra. Her motive for appearing there was indeed suspicious.
Hearing the jury’s obvious favor towards him, Casto continued.
"Moreover, being able to pass through multiple blockades and appear on the front lines of our battle with the Kingdom of Velys, it’s possible your purpose was to inform the enemy, otherwise why would you act so guilty, not trying to explain when attacked, but fighting to the death."
Taking advantage of Lyra’s youth and inexperience in debate, if it were Astrid Calliste, she would have imdiately taken the floor after Casto explained why he attacked first, not giving him any chance to continue his rhetoric, firmly asserting self-defense.
As long as the other party attacked first, her defense would not fail, and Casto would not have been able to steer the public opinion to such an extent, even involving the serious charge of treason.
Of course, strictly speaking, with Astrid’s noble status, this incident would not have happened in the first place, as no soldier of the empire would dare to attack the princess.
Hearing this, Lyra bit her lip, her thoughts racing.
Casto’s argunt was not without rit; her presence there was indeed suspicious.
Seeing Lyra’s silence, the judge signaled for silence, her tone steady.
"The evidence for treason is insufficient, but the evidence for Lyra’s cri of endangering national security is conclusive."
"According to Casto, she did affect the army’s advance speed, and due to her actions, the entire squad was unable to execute the original plan, delaying the battle."
"So, Miss Lyra, do you have anything else to say?"
If not, it was ti to announce the verdict.
Hearing this, Lyra raised her head, the shackles on her hands clinking.
"Your Honor..."
"I would like to know if the army can directly massacre prisoners and civilians."
Hearing this, Casto’s pupils contracted, realizing sothing was wrong, looking at Lyra through the bars.
The judge shook her head, answering softly.
"According to the Valeria Empire’s war laws, all gains of the army belong to the lord and emperor they serve. Only they can issue commands. Unless in an ergency, no private actions are allowed."
"These gains include prisoners and civilians."
Lyra pondered for a mont, then spoke.
"Then I believe I did nothing wrong."
"Casto is stealing the wealth that belongs to His Majesty the Emperor."
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